Cultural Reciprocity in Sociocultural Perspective: Adapting the Normalization Principle for Family Collaboration

The principle of normalization/social role valorization provides a powerful framework for improving the quality of life of individuals with disabilities. However, the principle needs to be adapted to the increasing cultural heterogeneity of the United States. Decisions about the goals of service provision should be informed by two principles: (1) cultural reciprocity, whereby professionals work in a collaborative manner with families, and (2) a sociocultural view of learning and development, which targets social rather than individual processes. Findings from a collaborative action research project with culturally diverse families are used to illustrate how professionals can provide assistance in a family's zone of proximal development, rather than targeting goals that are normative for the mainstream, but not for the family.